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Now what is the Dala-Dala? Daladalas are basically commuter buses used to transport millions of people every single day, especially in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. Even though I was born and partially-raised in Dar, I never had to get on the daladala before. There was always somebody in my family with a car. A few weeks ago, I got on the daladala for the very first time in my life. It was actually fun. But when I was going to the Saba-Saba Convention the a few days later, I realized just how irritating and uncomfortable it can get on these mini-buses.
Conductors deciding that they are going to cram 50 people into basically a mini-bus is just not cool...at all! I was very upset and I couldn't believe what people would do for money. I thought to myself that this practice was very dangerous. Looking around me while holding onto the handles in the ceiling of the bus, I could not believe it when I saw a 5 year-old girl literally getting squished between grown men and women. And the worst thing about it is that she was standing up, while grown people were sitting down. These practices are unsafe and things should be done to change the conditions of the poor. Because the reality is that most of the people who ride daladalas cannot afford to own private motor vehicles. However, they still deserve to have better and safer travelling conditions.
Now, don't get me wrong. Riding the daladala is fun...just as long as you don't have to stand and be squished by 50 people. I've had many interesting conversations in the few times that I have used daladalas to get around town. It is seriously the most efficient way of getting around town...and the cheapest. So if you ever get the wonderful opportunity to visit Dar, don't be too "uppity" to ride the daladala. Because you never know.....your next best friend might just be a person you met on the daladala.
Yes indeed! I said it, and I am not holding my tongue any longer! As Tanzanians, we need to wake up; for we have been caught in a deep and detrimental sleep while our neighbors are prospering quicker and quicker. We on the other hand, continue to under-develop more and more each day.
The other day, I was in a Shopper's supermarket in Tanzania buying some small groceries for the household when I caught a woman following my friend and I around the supermarket while the European expats were left to shop in peace. At first I quickly dismissed it, but the more she followed me around, the more I started to feel uncomfortable and annoyed at times. How could someone who looks just like me follow me around with suspicion in my home country? You know, I always expect that kind of behavior from the Asian store owners in the United States. It is unfortunately a way of life, especially in predominantly black neighborhoods. But having to deal with that same kind of foolishness in my own homeland made me completely sick to my stomach. Adding fuel to the fire, the woman following me around look just like me...same skin complexion, hair and ancestry. This truly hurt me. This type of anger and disappointment is what prompted me to break my silence, let all my thoughts out, and write this blog.
I am appalled to see the type of corruption that thrives in my home country of Tanzania. It seems like everything is run and dictated by corruption, and it seems to hit all areas of everyday life. What to do? Why does Satan have such a strong hold on the state institutions which were merely created for the benefit of the people? They have become meeting places for the sick greedy and careless among the bourgeoisie. I am tired of this. I want my country to prosper, not get poorer by the second, minute, and hour, while the rich continue to benefit through deceit.
It is also not fair to the millions of poor Tanzanians who have lost all hope and are treated inhumanely by their own brothers and sisters. They are disrespected and treated worst than the guard dogs used to protect the massive and expensive homes of European expats living in Dar es Salaam. And then worst of all: Oh how we treat the foreigners that come into our country as if they're Gods. We bow to them like Uncle Toms and think they are the most important beings that ever existed. But when it comes to our own fellow Tanzanians, we don't mind giving them an evil eye and even an occasional evil tongue. This is wrong. It is a shame to see my country in such an evil mess. Help us Lord. And then the ever-rising college educated Tanzanian youth who graduate college with new and refreshing ideas that could change this society for the better....IGNORED and cancelled off as ignorant reckless kids who don't know what's best for Tanzania. Well, let's continue to be silent and let the old and foolish elite run our country into a stone age. Lets give our old and foolish elite the right to drive our country into a deeper poverty by the hour. If we don't stand up for what is right and ethical, then our demise is inevitable.
As the young woman who followed me around in the supermarket, Tanzanians don't trust nor respect each other. As a wise and very loving aunt of mine once said to me not too long ago, "We as Tanzanians are colonizing ourselves". Europeans, Americans, and Asians are treated as angels when unfortunately in so many cases, they just want to strip our land of the little that we have left. Yet the Tanzanians like I who want to see this country move forward are looked down upon by our own kind. How sad and pathetic. This colonial-mindset is our worst enemy and is eventually going to be the main ingredient in our demise if we don't wake up soon. This type of behavior makes me sick. How psychologically damaged are we as a society? How can a country like Tanzania have so many rich people, but lacks in simple and basic infrastructure like roads and electricity? This kind of selfishness is destroying our country. We are Africans and we truly cannot to afford to be selfish in any aspect of our society. Wake up my fellow brothers and sisters!
I love this country so much with all my heart and there's no other place I'd rather live, even with all of the country's problems. That is why I had to speak up. I know there are millions of Tanzanians who are too hopeless to speak. Well, I am too saddened not to speak. May God help our country...especially our youth who are really the only ones who can change this country with God's Armor of Faith. Lord help us. Tanzania deserves better than this. Our people deserve better than this. One more thing: When the poor and the youth of Tanzania have decided that they are too tired of the senseless corruption and greed that is destroying our country, then we will start to prosper. Otherwise, the more we continue to stay silent and give way for evil ideologies to prosper ravage our country, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves in the end, especially once the old and foolish elite are long dead!
1. Oliver N'Goma - Born in Gabon and lived from 1959 to 2010 when he unfortunately succumbed to renal failure. N'Goma is the reason why I love listening to Afro-Zouk today. It is my one of my favorite genres of music, especially on the African continent. May he rest in peace.
2. M'Bilia Bel - Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1959 and dubbed the Queen of Congolese Rhumba, this magnificent artist and others are why I love Congolese music the way I do today.
3. Monique Seka - This beautiful artist is from the West African country of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). She has been active as a musician since the mid-1990's, although she is fairly young. She is my second favorite Afro-Zouk aritst after Oliver N'Goma and not only is she beautiful, but so is her voice. She is undoubtedly the best female Zouk artist in the world, in my opinion.
4. Koffi Olomide - This very influential Soukos legend was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1956 and continues to make music to this day. Several African artists have been inspired and influenced by Koffi Olomide's music, and there's no wonder why. He is simply excellent at what he does.
5. Sade - Born Helen Folasade Adu in 1959 in Nigeria, Sade is of mixed European and African descent, with her mother being British and her father being Nigerian. When Sade was 4 years old, she moved with her mother and brother to England, where she lived for the rest of her life. This still-beautiful woman is a legend when it comes to music in general. I love her because she is different, and her jazzy-smooth style cannot be duplicated by nobody, for she owns her style.
6. Lucky Dube - Born in South Africa in 1964 and lived till 2007, he was violently killed during a carjacking in Johannesburg. Lucky Dube is a legend when it comes to "revolutionary" music, for he sang about the injustices of the Apartheid government in South Africa. His style was Reggae and he always sang in English, but the lyrics were powerful. This is why he gained international notoriety, giving him much-deserved fame. May he rest in peace.
7. Lady Jay Dee - Born in Tanzania, Lady Jay Dee is one of the most popular singers today in East Africa. Not only has her soulful voice soothed our ears in Tanzania, but she has collaborated with musicians from Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. I love her music because she sings about real issues and she uses very wise lyrics in some of her songs. She is also known for singing in multiple languages at a time.
8. K'Naan - Born in Somalia in 1978, this talented Somali-Canadian artist is a poet, singer, and a rapper. He has proved himself to be an excellent lyricist and is known for rapping and singing about real issues in the world, including child soldiers in Somalia and what they go through.
9. Miriam Makeba - Born in South Africa in 1932 and lived till 2008, when she suffered a fatal heart attack after performing her last song. She was a legend not just in music, but in the fight for human rights in Apartheid South Africa. As a result, her public stance against the Apartheid regime got her exiled to several different countries, including the United States. Her voice was exquisite, soulful, and poetic. She knew how to create beautiful music out of nothing. She is another reason I love South African music. May she rest in peace!
10. Salif Keita - Born in Mali in 1949, this magnificent vocalist has gone through a lot of barriers to get to where he is. First of all, he was born an albino on a continent which is known for treating albinos as second-class citizens. His magnificent style of singing and playing the guitar is what makes his music pure and untainted by technology. As a result, his music and style is known around the world.
On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered its worst natural disaster since the country started keeping records over 140 years ago. A powerful and deadly earthquake rattled the Pacific region in and around Japan. Many island nations in the South Pacific were affected, in addition to the West coast of the United States and Canada. However, the earthquake hit Japan the worst, and it was the consequent tsunami that added to the death toll. Most people know that Japan is a country which is located on several tectonic plates collectively known as the ring of fire. Furthermore, Japan has the highest concentration of earthquake activity in the world. However, most people didn't expect something of this magnitude would happen on the island nation of 127 million people.
Earthquakes are something that Japanese people are used to and they happen often. However, the 8.9 magnitude earthquake which rattled the entire country and particularly devastated the rural areas of Japan was deadly because it was followed by a powerful and deadly tsunami. Reports say that at least 1,000 people are feared dead, however this video clearly shows that 1,000 is too small and unrealistic of a number. This tsunami had to have taken many more lives than that. Watch this shocking video and decide for yourself!
May God be with those people who perished in this terrible natural disaster!
QUOTE OF MARCH:I was born. I went to primary school, then secondary school. I went to college to study something that was accepted by society. I got my degree. I made a lot of money but my life was empty and sad. I died.
